Railway-signal.



Patented July I5, |902.

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RAILWAY SIGNAL.

y (Application led Apr. 15, 1902.)

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' W..C. VAN DERLIP, SR.

RAILWAY SIGNAL;

(Application le Apr. 15, 1902.!

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES 4 PATENT OFFICE.

VILLISUU'RTIS VAN DERVLIF, SR., OF CORNING, NEW YRK.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL( SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o.4 704,720, dated July 1 5, 1902.

Appimnn tied Apre 15, 1902.

To all wwyn it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS CUETS VAN DEELIP, Sr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Corningjn the county of Steuben and State of New York, have in vented certain new and usefulklmprovements in Railway- Signals, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertain to make and use the same.

The object of thisy invention is to provide an improved railway signal apparatus which is designed to` signal the'engineer, so as to' give him warning of danger ahead of any kind, a further object being to provide a signal apparatus of the class specified part ot" which is connected with the track and part with the engine, that part which is connected with the track being adapted to be located at any desired point along the track, and particularly at the entrance of a tunnel; and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in a railway signal apparatus constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanyingvdrawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- A Figure l is a side view of a section of the i railway-track and the front end of a locomo tive provided with myv improved signal ap-Y paratus; Fig. 2, zii-longitudinal Asection ofa box or easing containing part'ot the signal apparatus connected with the track; Fig.y 8, a front View of the locomotive, Fig. 4, a plan view of a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 with the cover removed, and Fig. V5 va ver tical section or sectional frontfview of that part of the apparatus connected with the lo said piston-cylinder is a piston b3, with the lower end of Awhich is pivotally connected a piston rod b4, which passes downwardly through an opening bin a plate h6, which is secured to another plate if, hinged to the body of the casing b at bs and which constitutes a part of the rear wall of said casing. The rear wall of the piston -cylinder h2 is preferably beveled outwardly, as shown at c, and the opening b5 in the plate h6 is much larger in transverse section than :the rod b4, and formed in the front side of the piston b3, near the lower end thereof, is a notch or recess c2, adapted to receive a spring-operated catch-plug c3, mounted in the casing c4, secured io the front side of the piston-cylinder b2, and with which is connected a cord or other iiexible device c5, which in practice is underk the control of the engineer.

Passing transversely through the casing b is a shaft d, which is provided, as 'shown in the drawings, with a transversel y-arran ged semicircular plate d2, which operates as a lever, and one end of which is weighted and passes through a slot cl3 in the piston-'cylinder b2 and is adapted to bear on the upper end ofthe piston ha, and the other end ot' said plate is provided with a pivoted link d4, which is pivotally connected with a piston di, movable in a vertically-arranged piston-cylinder d6,which is suspended from'the top di of the casing h.

Passing through one side of the casing b and into the: piston-cylinder d6 is a steam-pipe c, which is in communication with the boiler e2, ofthe locomotive, and passing into the opposite side of the cylinder d@ is a signal-pipe e3, which passes up through the top dT of the Y casing band isprovided with an ordinary signal-whistle c4. From the foregoing construction it willbe seen that the piston d5 is adapted to close both of the pipes e and e3, and when said piston is lowered, as. hereinafter described, the steam will rush throughthe pipes c andai and will operate the signal-whistle c4.

A lever c5 is pivoted in the casing b at the front side, near the bottom thereof, as shown at c6, and this lever passes through an opening c7 in the bottom of said casing and is pivotally connected with the piston-rod b4 and is provided at its free end with an antifrictionroller es, and beneath the said lever and near its pivotal support is a stop e9, which normally holds said lever in a backwardly-directed and inclined position and prevents the same from dropping too low, and in the normal position of said parts the lower end of said lever, which is provided with an antifriction-roller es, is placed approximately near and adjacent to one end of the rails of the tracks and at a predetermined distance outside thereof.

In forming that part of my improved signal apparatus which is placed in connection with or adjacent to the track I provide a box or casing f, which may be placed at any point along the track-as, for instance, at the end or ends of a tunnel or in any other desiredV location-and said box or casing is placed outside of oneof the rails of the track and at a predetermined distance therefrom. In this box or casing I pivot at g a lever g2, which is arranged longitudinally of the box or casing, the pivotal support g thereof being near one end thereof, and said lever is curved upwardly and adapted to pass through a longitudinal opening g3 in the top of said box or casing, and the free end thereof is curved downwardly and connected With a vertically-movable block g4, mounted in the casing g5 in the end of the box or casingf opposite the pivotal support g of said lever. The connection between the block g4 and the lever g2 is made by a pin gs, secu red to said block and passing through a slot `r/Tin the end of said lever, and by means of this construction the block g4 may be moved vertically by the lever g2, and said block serves as a guide for the free end of said lever and to hold it in proper operative position.

In the end of the box or casingf opposite the block g4 is mounted a double pulley h, and adjacent to the opposite end of said box or-casing is mounted another pulley h2, which is also preferably a double pulley and the shaft of which is provided with an arm h3, which is pivotally connected at h4 with a lever g2, near the free end thereof, and the pulleys h and 71,2 are connected by a belt, chain, or similar device h4.

Arranged over the pulley h and supported in any desired manner, as at h5, is a pulley h6, which is geared in connection With the pulley 7i by a belt, band, or similar device 71,7, and the shaft of the pulley 71,6 or the pulley itself is provided with an arm hs, which may be operated by hand or by any suitable mechanism from a distance.

The box or casing f is also preferably provided With a supplemental cover consisting of separate parts z', which are hinged to the sides thereof at 2, and the lever g2 is preferably provided With downwardly and outwardly directed side arms 3, which are adapted to raise the supplemental cover or the separate parts thereof when said lever is raised, and when the lever is lowered the parts of the supplemental cover will drop back and close the box or casing or the opening g3 in the top thereof.

The operation is substantially as follows: Suppose that a Watchman or attendant at the mouth or entrance of a tunnel desires to signal the engineer of an approaching train that danger is ahead. The arm hs is manipulated so as to raise the lever g2 into the position shown in dotted lines in Figs. l and 2 and in fulllines in Fig. 3, and as the train approaches the antifriction-roller es in the end of the lever e5 strikes the beveled upper surface of the lever g2, and said lever e5 is forced upwardly, the piston h6 is moved upwardly in the piston-cylinder b2, the plate d2, which serves as a lever, is turned, the piston d5 is lowered by means of the connecting-link d4, and the steam rushes through the pipes e and e3 and operates the signal e, and the engineer is thus notified that danger is ahead. When the piston b3 is in its highest position, the spring-operated catch-plug c3 is forced into the notch or recess c2 and said piston is held in its raised position until the cord c5 is pulled by the engineer, at which time the lever e5, the piston b3, and the lever or plate cl2 drop back into the position shown in Fig. 5, and the pipes e and e3 are closed by the piston d3.

It will be understood that that part of my improved signal apparatus which is connected with the track or arranged adjacent there- ICO to may be placed at any desired point on the track, and the lever or the arm hs may be operated by a track-walker or it may be operated from a signal-station at any desired distance. I may also connect with the pulley h2 a supplemental band and connect the same with a semaphore-signal at any point, and this semaphore-signal would be operated at the same time that the lever g2 is raised into operative position.

Although I have shownmy improvement applied for the purpose of operating a steamsignal connected with a locomotive or engine, the same device maybe employed for operating the air-brakes of a railway-train, the steam which passes through the pipe e being used for said purpose.

The entire apparatus is simple in construction and operation and perfectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended, and changes in and modifications of the construction described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, isl l. A signal apparatus for railways comprising a casing secured to the engine and provided with a vertically-arranged piston-cylinder which opens downwardly, a piston mounted in said cylinder, a lever pivoted in the bottom of said casing and in operative connection with said piston, a steam-pipe passing IIO through said casing and in connection with the boiler and devices for opening and closing said pipe, said devices being adapted to be operated by said piston, substantially as shown and described.

2. A signal apparatus for railways compris-A ing a easing secured to the engine and provided with a vertically-arranged piston-cylinder which opens downwardly, a piston mounted in said cylinder, a lever pivoted in the bottom of said casing and in operative connection with said piston, a steam-pipe passing through said casing and in connection with the boiler and devices for opening and closing said pipe, said devices being adapted to be operated by said piston, and means adjacent to the track` for operating said lever, substantially as shown and described.

3. A signal apparatus for railways comprising a casing secured to the engine and provided with a vertically-arran ged piston-cylinder which opens downwardly, a piston mounted in said cylinder, a lever pivoted in the bottom of said casing and in operative connection with said piston, a steam-pipe passing through said casing and in connection with the boiler and devices for opening and closing said pipe, said devices being adapted to be operated by said piston, and means adjacent to the track for operating said lever, consisting of a box or casing, a lever pivoted therein, two pulleys mounted in said box or casing and geared in connection and one of which is in operative connection with said lever and adapted to raise it above .said box or easing; and means for operating the other pulley, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of April, 1902.

WILLIS CURTIS VAN DERLIP, SR.

Witnesses:

THOMAS W. Cowmir, M. J. OARK. 

